Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-01-22
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject of Discourse: ION Trial

John H., |.
Standing in a courtroom you say to your
self: ''At this bar crime has often been ar
raigned at this witness stand the oath has
often been taken; at this jurors bench tho
verdict has been rendered; at this judges
desk sentence has been pronounced" Bu5 1
have TO tell you to-day Of a trial higher than
any Oyer and Terminer or Circuit or SUI
preme or Chancery, 1t is the trial of every
christian man for the life of his soul This
trial is different from any other in the fact
that 1t is both civil and criminal The issues
at stake are tremendous, and shall in my
sermon show you, first, what are the grounds
of complaint; then. who are the witnesses in
the cause and lastly, who are the advocates.
When trial Is called on. the first thing is
to have the indictment read. Stand up then,
o Christian men, aud hear the Indictment
OF the court of high heaven against thy soul.
IL is an indictment OF ten counts, for thou
las directly or indirectly broken oil the ten
commandments You know how it thun-
dered on Sinai, and when God came down
how the mountain rocked and the smoke as
cended as from smouldering furnace and the
darkness gathered thick and the loud deep
trumpet uttered the words: 1.-THE soul that
sinneth, it shall del" Are you guilty or not
guityf Do not put in a negative plea too
quick, for l have to announce that "nll have
sinned and come short Of the glory OF God.
There is none that doeth good: no, not one
NAOoOSFoE buhlt h0op bu0 WuOl6 law, J0O Oh
fcnd in one point, he is guilty of all = Do
not, tn .retore, be too hasty in pronouncing
yourself not guilty.
This lawsuit before us also charges you
with the breaking Of solemn contra t.
Many, a time did we promise to be the
Lords. We got down on our knees and said:
80 Lord, ! ain thine now and forever"
Did you keep the promisel Have you stood
up to the contract l go back TO your first
communion. You remember it as well as if
it were yesterday You know how the Wis
ion of the cross rose before YOU You re-
member how from the head and the han is
and the side and the feet, there came bleed
ing forth these two words: 'sRemember
Me-" You recall how the cup of communion
tremb'ed in your hand when you first took
it; and as in a sea-shell you may hear, or
think You hear, the roaring of the surf even
after the shell has been taken from the
beach, so you lifted the cup of
tie surging Of the great ocean of
Saviour agony; and you came forth from
that communion service with face shining as
though you had been on the Mount of Trans
fguration; and the very air seemed tremu-
lous with the love of Jesus, and the woods
and the leaves and the grass and the birds
were brighter and sweeter-voiced than ever
before, and you said down in the very depths
If your soul: Lord Thou knowest all
things; Thou knowest that / love Thee I"
Have you kept the bargain, o Christ an
nans Have you not sometimes faltered
when you ought to have been truel Have you
not been proud when you oughtto have been
humbles Have you not played the coward
when you ought to have been the herof
charge it upon you and l charge it upon my
self-we have broken the contract.
Still further; this law suit claims damages
at your hands The greatest slanler on the
Christian religion is au inconsistent profess
The RihlA roliui0n 10 fhinnr
we by our inconsistency say religion is some
other thing, and what is more deplorable
about it is that people can see faults of others
while they cannot see any in themselves. II
you shall at any time find some miserable old
gossip, with imperfections from the crown
Of her head to the sole of her foot, perfect
blotch Of sin herself, she will go tattling, tat
ting, tattling all the years of her life about
the inconsistencies of others, having no idea
that she is inconsistent herself God save the
world from the gossip female and male. l
think the males are the worst! Now the
chariot of Christs salvation goes on through
the world; but it is our Inconsistencies,
my brethren, that block up the wheels, while
al along the line there ought to have been
cast nothing but palm branches, and the
shout should have been lifted: "Hosanna
TO the son of David"
Now you have heard the indictment read.
Are you ready to plead guilty or not
gililtys Perhaps you are not ready yet to
plead. Then the trial will go on. The wit.
nesses will be called andfwe shall have the
matter decided In the name of God now
make proclamation. Oyezl Oyezl Oyez
Whosoever hath anything to offer in this
trial, in which God is the plaintiff and the
Christian soul the defeudont, let him now
step forth and give testimony in this solemn
trial.
The first witness that call upon the stand
in behalf OF the prosecution is the world-all
critical and observant of Christian character.
You know that there are people around you
who perpetually banquet on the frailties OF
Gods children. You may know, if you have
hsed in the country, that a crow cares for
nothing SO much as carbon There are those
who Imagine that out of the faults of Chris
tians they can make bridge Of boats across
the stream Of death, and they are going to
Ty 1t; but aas, for the mistake When they
get amid stream away will go the bridge,
and down will go their souls to per.
ditioD. o world of the greedy eye and
the bard heart, come on the stand now
and testify in behalf of the prosecution
against this Christian soul on trial What
do you know about this Christian mani
"Oh," says the world, 81 know great deal
ures in heaven. but he is the sharpest man in
q trade / ever knew. He seems to want us ia
believe that he is a child of God, but he is
inst full Of imperfections. do not know
but am great deal better than he is now.
Uftentimes he is very earthly and he talks SO
little about Christ and so much about him
self. l am very glad to testify that this is a
bad man,
Stop, o World with the greedy eye and
hard heart fear you are too much inter.
ested in this trial to give impartial evidence
Let all those who hear the testimony OF this
witness know that there is an old family
quarrel between these two parties There
always has Teen variance between the
world and the church and while the world
on the witness stand to-day has told a great
deal Of truth about this Christian man, you
must take it all with some allowance, re-
membering that they still keep the old
grudge good. o World Of the greedy eve
and the hard heart, hat will do You may
sit down.
The second witness l call in this case /.
Conscience. Who art thou, o Conscience
What is your business Where were you
born What are you doing here, "0h,
says Conscience, ~ was born in heaven:
came down to befriepd this man; have lived
with him, have instructed him. / have
warned him. ! showed him the right and
che wrong, advising him to take the one ant
eschew the other: ] have kindle1 creai
light In his soul: with a whip of scorpions
have scourged his wickedness and
have tried to cheer him when doinf
right: and yet am compelled II
testify on the stand to-day that he ha,
sometimes rejected my mission. Oh. how
manv CUBS Of life have nresead IN HE l; 10